Help me name this Film...Anime possibly?

Question

I rented a CG possibly live action anime several years back and now i cant remember the name of it. It is filmed with live actors, but it is processed with computer graphics and has a very dark look to it. All i really remember is a virtual war scenario where things looked 3d, but as they were killed, they turned to 2d objects and a woman sniper. It was rented at an anime store and I think I'm pretty sure that's what it's classified as...but I could be wrong. It is set in the near future I would assume and I remember a scene with tanks rolling in a being blown up...then turning into a static 2d explosion....

If you have any idea what movie this is...please help me find it?

Thanks

Answer 1

What you're describing sounds like Mamoru Oshii's Avalon which was a live action film that takes place in a military-themed online RPG. Inside the RPG, the tanks have 2D explosion graphics and there are other effects to indicate it is a video game. The main character is a female warrior who works without a party.

Both the 'real' world and the video game world are pretty dark with muted colors. The actors and original language are Polish while the director and writer and many of the production staff are Japanese.  (It also featured an excellent soundtrack by Kenji Kawai.)

http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/movie/dec...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon_(j*p...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267287/full...